Salman identified as driver in hit and run case

 Three of the four witnesses in the 2002-hit and run case involving actor Salman, and who were recently traced by the police, on Tuesday identified the film star.

They stated that they had seen him getting off the car on the night when the car ran over five footpath dwellers in suburban Bandra.

Local media attending the trial stated that one of the witness testified that the actor was in an inebriated condition and “fell down while coming out of the car before running away.”

The second witness also testified that he saw Khan who was present in the court for the trial, “opening the driver’s door of Toyota Lexus car while coming out of the vehicle.”

However, another witness said while he “did see the actor getting out of the car” he does not remember the door from which the film star got out.

The four witnesses had escaped by the skin of the teeth after Khan’s car ran over the pavement dwellers in front of a bakery, killing one on the spot and injuring four others. The names of the three witnesses who deposed before the court were given as :Manu Khan, Mohammed Kalim Iqbal Pathan and Muslim Shaikh.

Though the survivors and the deceased were workers of the bakery in front of which they were run over, the four injured were reportedly missing for the past few years; they were recently traced by the police.

In December last, the Sessions Court had announced a fresh trial in the case and in a hearing in February stated that the trial would begin on March 26 as the prosecution completed the submission of all documents and required formalities.

Sessions Judge D W Deshpande while announcing the fresh trial date, asked the prosecution to keep its witnesses who are to be examined ready; the prosecution stated that while it had submitted a list of 64 it only wants to examine some of them.